Heating Up
by Loopstagirl
Summary: There were times when getting dressed properly was just too much effort. Happy Birthday, Bee!


_Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights belong to their respective owners._

_I know I might not be writing much at the moment, but you didn't think you would get away without something for your birthday, did you, Bee? Have a great day and hope you like this! Happy Birthday!_

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><p>John sighed as he stirred in his sleep, his legs kicking down the covers. In the back of his mind, that action was enough for him to start the journey towards consciousness. The temperature on Five was always carefully monitored and he had made sure it was just right for him to stay snuggled in all night if he wanted to. The last time he had kicked the covers off, he had been in the grip of a nightmare.<p>

He shifted again, his body shifted restlessly as his mind slowly woke up. He flung out a hand, finding the light and causing it to react to his touch. By the time his eyes blinked open, a soft light was bathing his sleeping quarters.

John sat up, yawning as he did so. Running a hand through his hair, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and waited for the normal moment where he adjusted to the temperature. But when nothing happened, he suddenly realised what had awoken him in the first place.

It was hot. Too hot. Especially considering this wasn't the island, but a machine where everything was kept tightly regulated and no changes happened unless John programmed them to. He knew something was wrong; Gordon hadn't even come on the change-over so nothing could be blamed on prankster brothers. Realising if his quarters were like that, the main console was going to be worse, John stripped the plain white t-shirt off as he stood up, leaving it in a heap on the floor.

Kicking it out of the way, he didn't bother with boots. No one was there to reprimand him and he knew his 'bird better than his room at home, he knew he wasn't about to stub his toe on anything. The lights flickered on in front of him as the door slid open and granted him access to the rest of the Thunderbird. John glanced at his watch and groaned when he saw it had only just gone four. Unless this was a simple problem, there would be no more sleep for him tonight.

It might only be the temperature now, but if one control can start to go, there would be no telling what would happen next. He would have to run a full diagnostic just to make sure. His brain was just beginning to wake up enough to start thinking about what he needed to do first when the door to the main room opened and John stopped. It was like when his grandmother had a baking day and the oven had been on for the entire time, heating up the kitchen to unbearable temperatures. Only this time, there would be no pie or cookies to make up for the fact it was sweltering.

As an idea formed in his head, John glanced at the screen that normally had him connected to Tracy Island. It was blank, just as he knew it would be. If the problem was a simple one that he could fix before they even woke up, they would never need know something went wrong. Deciding they would never know anything, he climbed out of his pyjama trousers as well and padded across to the console in just his underwear.

Flicking the controls from automatic back to manual, John winced as he sunk into his seat. The leather was normally cool and welcoming, whereas right now it was almost uncomfortably warm against his bare skin. He knew he would get used to it though, and forced himself to concentrate on the lights blinking into life in front of him.

As soon as everything looked to be up and running, John yawned again as he began to run diagnostics. He didn't want to have to suit up and start pulling things apart unless he had to and he hoped the instruments would do the work for him and he could just think about feeling cool. Once everything had been set up, John peeled himself from the seat again and wandered through to his small kitchen in order to get some water. It was cooler in there and the second he stepped into it, his toes curled up at the cold floor and goosebumps broke out across his body. It was a welcoming change though and John wasn't sure if his shiver was because of the change in temperature or the relief.

Pouring some water, he gulped it down quickly and sighed as he rested the glass against his forehead for a moment. He wanted to stay here and just wait for things to cool down. But even if the diagnostics found out what was wrong, it was still going to be up to him to hit the right buttons in order to sort it out again. Splashing some water into his hands, John dashed it over his face and neck, preparing himself to enter the heat again.

Despite knowing how bad it was going to be, he still groaned as he eased himself back into his seat and glanced at what was happening. The checks were underway and there was nothing for him to do but wait. But just as he made to make himself comfortable, a light began to flash. John stared at it. That light only flashed a few seconds before…

"Oh no."

Willing it not to be what he thought, John only just resisted banging his head on the console when a call started to be patched through. Luckily, communications were still on automatic and instantly began to pinpoint the call while John connected through to the island. Bracing himself, he flicked on the screen even as he picked up the headset.

He could only hope the rest of the family were too tired to notice what he was wearing. Or rather, what he wasn't.

"International Rescue receiving you," his voice knew what to say even if his brain was still thinking about other things. But as he saw his father come into view, John crossed his fingers.

He just had to hope and pray.

TBTB

Scott groaned as the sound of the klaxon invaded his dreams and sent him hurtling back to alertness. It only took him a split second to feel groggy and disorientated before the first wave of adrenaline kicked in and he sprang up. He was moving before his brain had quite realised that he was standing, striding towards the door and already slipping into his Field Commander role.

It was only when he reached the door that Scott realised he had been sleeping in just a pair of shorts because of the heat wave that had hit the island. Getting dressed now would waste time, time the victims of whatever disaster had struck may not have. Deciding that the rest of the family was just going to have to deal with it, Scott continued through to the lounge.

His father was the only one there, although the sound of footsteps hurrying in their direction meant Scott knew that wouldn't be the case for long. The man lifted an eyebrow at his attire but didn't say anything. Scott knew why; it wasn't as if they were going to be venturing out on a rescue in whatever clothes they had on at the time. That was what their uniforms were for. Sending him back to get dressed now would just be a waste of time.

Scott leant against the wall, trying to conceal a yawn. He might be bolt upright and alert when a rescue came through at a civilised time, but even he had moments of slouching when it was some stupid time at the moment.

"_Bit hot there, Scott?_" John's voice sounded amused and Scott lifted his eyes in order to tell his brother that any jibes he was thinking about making could just wait. But as soon as he did look up, a smirk instantly shot across his face as he stared at the younger man.

"You can talk," he retorted, finding his amusement at the situation was helping him wake up. "Are you even wearing anything?"

He knew how regulated John kept the temperature on Five. Whenever there was a middle of the night rescue, the man was usually in the same pyjamas as always, regardless of what the weather was doing on Earth. But this time, John had his arms folded across a bare chest as if hoping that would hide him.

"_Of course I am_."

"What?"

"_I…"_

"Scott, leave your brother alone."

Scott chuckled at the fact John seemed to be blushing. The man was one of the brightest Scott knew, he could handle problems that no one else could manage. And yet when it came to being put on the spot in such a way, he couldn't seem to string a sentence together.

"_The heating panel is fried."_ He said as means of explanation and Scott pushed himself away from the wall.

"Anything else?" he asked, the teasing note from his voice vanishing when he realised there was a potential problem on Five. Although he could handle the maintenance needed on the 'birds, it had always been John and Virgil who had the more mechanical minds. A technical fault – especially when he couldn't instantly reach John – always had him on edge.

"Not now, Scott. John, what's the situation?"

Leaving his father take control of the situation, Scott turned as the door was pushed up again. He wasn't entirely sure if Virgil's eyes were open as the man stumbled in and instantly crashed down across the sofa. He knew his brother though – by the time they reached the rescue zone, Virgil would be wide awake. Installing a coffee machine in Two was one of the best ideas that Brains could have come up with.

But what made him let out a laugh was the fact that Virgil was even less dressed than he was. The younger man had clearly also just rolled from his bed and stumbled towards the lounge in the clothes he had fallen into bed in earlier that evening, despite it only being a pair of… well, Scott wasn't sure if it was shorts or boxers, they were certainly more fitted on his brother than his own.

"You with us, Virg?" He asked softly, sitting on the edge of the sofa and prodding his brother in the leg. Virgil's grunt wasn't even a word, but before he could say anything else, Gordon arrived.

"You've got to be kidding me," the young man said, sounding utterly appalled. Scott glanced up at him, sensing that Virgil was trying to sit up as well. But Scott couldn't see what was wrong, despite the fact that Gordon was looking at him rather pointedly. Eventually, the aquanaut sighed dramatically.

"I cannot be the one with the most clothes on, it's just all wrong." He moaned and Scott's lips quirked into a quick smile at realising Gordon had indeed pulled a t-shirt on before coming.

"Dad's got more on than you."

"If that wasn't the case, I'd be scarred for life," Gordon muttered, coming into the room and climbing onto the back of the sofa, sitting on top of it with his feet resting on the arm.

Scott shushed him, wanting to hear at least the end of the brief to know what they were flying out to. By the sounds of it, John wasn't sure if it was a rescue or not, the details were still sketchy.

"Scott, Virgil, prepare to take off. It will save us time when we get a go ahead," their father eventually ordered. Scott stood with a nod, clasping Virgil's arm and hauling him to his feet. His brother looked slightly more awake now and Scott grinned at the slight shiver that shook Virgil's body as it finally realised it was out of bed and away from the warmth of the duvet. There might be a heat wave, but the lounge at 3am was a cool place to be.

"And suit up as soon as you get in, boys. You're both shivering."

Dismissed by his father's eye roll, Scott crossed to his lamps and prepared to switch fully into rescuer mode.

TBTB

Virgil yawned as he waited for his 'bird to wake up, wondering if the engines roaring into life would be enough to send the adrenaline racing through him and cause him to feel more alert as well. He couldn't help but shiver slightly, rubbing his hands down his arms as lights began to flicker on. He never liked leaving the deck while systems were booting up. The last thing he needed was to be halfway into his uniform and have to come back – he had tried hopping through once and vowed never again.

But until he went to get his uniform, he couldn't get his coffee either. Hoping the heating systems would come online quickly – how could they be in a heatwave and yet his 'bird was freezing? – Virgil pressed his watch in order to find out if Scott had found out more.

"Are we going or not?" He knew it wasn't the best opener to the conversation, but Virgil was not the type to engage in pleasant conversations when he had been so abruptly woken up. He wanted to climb back into bed and let sleep claim him again, not be sitting here shivering.

"_Still waiting to hear from Dad, they can't work out if we are needed or not."_

"Surely it's not that hard?" Virgil grumbled, more to himself than his brother. He glanced at his watch, actually wanting to see the time for once. It was just gone five, meaning the sun would just be gracing the horizon. Not that he could see it, however, not when he was stuck underground. If they were leaving, it was going to make flying conditions horrendous. Virgil was all for beautiful sunrises, they produced some of his best work on the rare occasions he had seen one. But not when he had a job to do and the light just got in his eyes.

"_Virg?"_

"What?"

"_Why don't you get changed? I can hear you shivering from here."_

Virgil didn't verbally answer his brother, but instead glanced at the controls in front of him. Enough of the lights were now green that he was convinced Two wasn't about to blow up if he didn't stare intently at them while the rest of the systems finished their checks. Grumbling a response, he disconnected and went to get changed. It wasn't so much the idea of putting clothes on that had him moving, however, but the promise of coffee if he did so.

Sure enough, Virgil was soon half-dressed and reaching out for the mug that was steaming at him. He had only just wriggled into his trousers and boots, not even bothering doing up either before cradling the cup close and just breathing in, letting the smell start to wake him up before he even tasted it. Virgil had just taken his first step when there came a beep from the console.

He decided it was his quick reactions that caused him to swallow his groan rather than spitting out the much-needed coffee. He knew this would happen! Remaining half-dressed and still holding the cup, he walked back through to the flight deck. His first thought was that nothing seemed to be on fire so he was okay. His second thought was why the communications light was flashing at him so steadily considering Scott would know he was getting changed.

It was only a second later he realised it meant it wouldn't be Scott trying to get hold of him. Hitting the button, Virgil knew he would be talking to his father.

"_False alarm, Virgil, we're not needed. You can go back to bed now."_

"F.A.B." Virgil knew letting his father know the thoughts running through his head wouldn't be a good idea, so he kept his voice professional. As soon as he cut the call, however, he swore. Knowing there was no point taking his uniform out of Two, Virgil stood. But rather than moving from the flight deck again, he simply kicked off his boots and wriggled out of his trousers.

Dressed once again in just his underwear, Virgil picked up his coffee and traced the familiar path out of Two. He couldn't deny he wasn't glad they weren't going anywhere, but he still hated being woken up for no reason. He felt like he was sleep-walking as he headed towards the elevator, barely noticing when his brother came to join him. It was only when they were being whisked up to the rest of the house did Virgil realise Scott was fully dressed; he had decided to stay in his uniform. But then again, he had actually got as far as getting the whole thing on compared to the younger brother.

"I thought I told you to put something on?"

"Mm." Virgil couldn't be bothered to answer, leaning against the wall of the elevator and fighting to keep his eyes open. The surge of adrenaline had never hit him; now he just wanted to sleep. Besides, he knew that the sun was rising and would already be causing the temperature on the island to be increasing back to unbearable. Scott wouldn't sound so stern when Virgil remained cool and he was sweating in his uniform.

They reached the lounge, both preparing to head back to bed. Virgil smirked when Scott wiped his brow but then found his attention distracted by John still visible through the video-screen. In that time, he had gone from wearing nothing to looking like he was wearing every piece of clothing he had up there.

"What's up with you?"

"_Controls gone wild," _John muttered through chattering teeth. Virgil winced in sympathy, but knew that John wouldn't be prepared to ask for help yet. His brother would make sure he had tried every trick he knew before admitting he needed Brains.

"I envy you," Scott muttered, tugging at his collar. Virgil felt his smirk returning, feeling the right temperature out of the three of them. He drained his coffee then passed Scott the mug. His brother took it automatically, not realising it was empty.

"I'm going to bed," Virgil reported, walking off as he did so. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Scott lift the cup, then realise it was empty.

"Hey!"

Virgil just sped up. Before his brother could think of coming after him, he had fallen back into his cool sheets with a sigh. Stretching out, Virgil gripped his pillow and exhaled in satisfaction as sleep once again stole up on him.

He wasn't entirely sure if he had ever properly woken up.


End file.
